1918-1920 W-Unc "Big Head" Strip-Card Partial Set (11/20)

Sold For: $1,200

Auction Year:2017 spring

Lot: 952

Item Year:1918

Category:Teens to 1920s cards

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Presented is a collection of eleven different cards from the extremely unique 1918-1920 W-Unc "Big Head" Strip-Card set, highlighted by four Hall of Famers. "Big Head" strip-cards are one of the most distinctive, amusing, and memorable baseball-card sets of any type ever issued. They are extremely rare, and, partly because of that, have traditionally received little attention. Even the mention of their appropriate yet somehow silly sounding name brings a smile to advanced collectors. The late teens and very early 1920s presented few baseball-card sets for youngsters to collect, and strip-cards were both the most prominent and most affordable cards of the era. These small, uniquely designed cards are blank-backed and measure 1-3/8 x 2-1/2 inches. Strip cards, of course, are by definition hand-cut, as intended, and are therefore often encapsulated by the third-party grading companies as "authentic" even if they have an Excellent or better appearance, due to the cuts affecting a small portion of the cutting guidelines. REA grades strip cards slightly differently than the grading companies. The grades we have provided above do not downgrade the cards for insignificant cutting flaws which are natural to strip cards. This collection consists of the following: Bagby (Vg), Baker (HOF, Gd), Cardore (Vg), Judge (Gd), Konetchy (Vg), Mays (Vg), Milan (Vg), Rice (HOF, Gd+), Schang (Gd), Sisler (HOF, Gd+), and Schalk (HOF, small piece missing from upper right corner, otherwise Gd). Many of the cards present far better than the assigned grades, but have been downgraded due to small areas of glue staining on the reverse from long ago being stored in a scrapbook and carefully removed. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a partial set of eleven players from one of the most unique of all vintage card issues. Total: 11 cards. Reserve $300. Estimate $500/$1,000.